wellman



l nire ENT crema.

JNO. T. WELLMAN, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CHAS. O. THOMPSON, OF SAME PLACE.

SIGN, DOOR-PLATE, am.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19,970, dated April 13, 1858.

To all whom 'it may concern: l

Be it known that I, JOHN T. WELLMAN, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signs, Door-Plates, Sac.; and I do hereby declare that the same are described and represented in the following specifications and drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements I will proceed to describe their construction and use referring to the drawings in which the same letters indicate like parts in each of the figures.

Figure 1, is a plan of a sign or door plate prepared with my improvements. Fig. 2, is a section of the same cut lengthwise.

The nature of my improvements in door plates -and signs consists in covering the leather, cloth, paper or other material, which is to form the foundation of the sign with a coat of Japan varnish and drying them with a high heat, in the same way the patent or varnished leather is prepared in common use; and rubbing the gloss off with rottenstone or some similar powder, then pressing the gold, silver or other kind of leaf onto the varnished surface with heated types, rollers or other tools; and then laying the material with the varnished and gilded surface on the glass which is to form the covering for it, and heating the glass and the varnished surface, and applying pressure at-the same time, until the varnished surface adheres firmly to the glass, making a perfectly water proof plate adapted to in, and out door service.

In 'the accompanying drawings A, is a transparent plate of glass set in a metal frame B, which surrounds it, covering the name and residence of John T. Wellman, Lowell, Mass.A printed in gilt letters with a silvered border around it, which plate may be made as follows to wit. A piece of leather should be covered with Japan varnish or such as is used in making the patent leather in common use, and dried at a'high heatthat will not burn the leather. After it is dried the surface gloss should be rubbed off with rotten stone or some similar preparation when it will be ready to receive the gilding. The type for the name or imas to be hot enough to soften the varnish and make the gold leaf adhere to it, this can be readily ascertained by applying a piece of the waste leather with a varnished surface to the `side of the frame which holds the type. When the type are found to be at the right temperature, they should be placed upon a press and the gold leaf laid over them and the leather which should be of a uniform thickness laid on top of the leaf, and pressure applied, when the heat from the type softens the varnish at the same time that the type presses the leaf against it, so that the leaf adheres rmly to the leather, where it is pressed against it, by the type. After the impression is made and the leather taken off the surplus gold leaf may be brushed 0H leaving the required impression gilded upon the leather. The silvered border E around the name may be made by silvering the glass in the usual manner, or by applying silver leaf to the leather in the same way that the gold leaf was applied as above described.

The leather with the impression having been prepared as abovedescribed and the glass to cover it got ready, two iron plates should be heated as hot as the type were, or a little hotter, and the glass laid upon the iron plate, and the varnished surface of the leather laid on the glass, and the back of the leather moistened with a wet sponge, and the other heated plate applied to the back of the leather, and pressure applied to force all the air out from between the glass and varnished surface of the leather at the same time, that both are heated, so as to soften the varnish which attaches the leather firmly to the glass. A piece of wood one 8th of an inch thick may be used between the hot plate `and leather to advantage. The glass A, with the leather C, adhering to it is now placed in the frame B, and the filling of plaster D, put in which completes the plate ready to be applied to the door.

If a silvered lettering is desired it maybe made by the same process, or leaf made from other kinds of metal may be applied in the same way. Or if a gilt lettering with a Isilver shading, or letters part gilt and part silver are wanted they may be made by using type that is made to print two colors.

are Water proof, While many of those herel And in addition to` tofore used Were not. this the names can be made as perfect as the letters or type are, no matter hoW complex7 if the leather is thin and of a uniform thick ness with a perfect surface. By my improvements a far more perfect and beautiful plate can be furnished at a lower price than has ever been offered to the public before.

I believe I have described the construction and use of my improved door plate or sign, so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and apply the same to use.`

I will now specify What I desire to secure by Letters Patent, viz:

I claim the new manufacture of door plate or sign described to Wit, a transparent plate having a backing containing the name or device aXed to said backing and the backing affixed to the plate as described.

JOHN T. WELLMAN. 

